Fruit grader



Mmh'27, 1928. 1,663,639

J. J. NEVILLS FRUIT GRADER Filed July 12. t 1

J/weW J. J. NEVILLE FRUIT GRADER Filed July 12. 1924 March 27, 1928.

s Sheet s-Sheet 2 March 27, 1928. V v 1,663,639

J. J. NEVILLS FRUIT GRADER Filed July 12. 1924 Y s Sheets-Sheet 3 |||,I W HF B TTT==- 1 ya. Q

a & 4 J a i; 1 y ms l i w 1 a d 1 Q a mfifl' y JZ/z Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

more STATES L'IBBY, or oruoneo, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

rATENj JOHN J. NEVILLS, or SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, 'Assronon T0 LIBBY, McN

- isms EILL 8:

FRUIT GRADER.

' Application filed July 12, 1924. Serial No. 725,540.

The present invention relates to fruit graders.

The present and described particularly withreference to apparatus for grading peaches, said appara tus having proven particularly useful for this purpose. It. will be understood as the description proceeds, however, that the invention is of broader application.

An object of the present lnvention 18 to provide a grader for peaches or other art cles which will expeditiously grade said art1- cles according to size and which will occupy a minimum of space. r I

A further object is to provide a grader which will involve a minimum of clogging by the articles being graded and which will result in a minimum of bruising of said articles. I f I further object is to provide a grader which is sturdy in construction and whlchis little liable to get out of order.

A further object is to provide a grader which is positive in its action and eflicient 1n operation. i

Furtherobjects will appear as the descrip- I tion proceeds. I

Referring to the drawingsa Figure 1 is a top plan view of a grader embodying the principles of the present invention; I I

Figure 2-is afview'in side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure '3 is aview in end elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1; I

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the plane indicated by the arrows of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a top plan view with parts removed to show the distributing chutes by means ofwhich the graded articlesare delivered from the machines; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the plane indicated by the arrows 66 of Figure 5.

The numeral 10 indicates prising a plurality of longitudinally disposed screens of different mesh, said screensbeing supported .in substantially cylindrical contour by means of the members 11-11; It will be noted from an inspection of Figure 4 that the member 10 is illustrated in polygonal form. Mounted symmetrically with the cylinder 10 is the outer cylinder 12, said outer cylinder being supported in spaced invention W111 be illustrated a. cylinder comrelation relative to cylinder 10 by means of the members 13-13 (Figure 4). 'It will be noted that the member 12 is alsoindicatedin polygonal form. It will be understoodthat when the term cylinder is applied to the members 10 and 12 in this specification, said term is to be.broadlyrconsidered, in

order that it may cover not only-a true cy1= inder but an approximation thereof. I

The cylinder 10 and the enclosing cylinder 12 will be mounted for rotation, part of the bearings necessary for said rotation being omitted for the reason that a disclosure of same is not'considered necessary for an understanding of the present invention. Figures 1 and 3, however, illustrate a cylindrical b'ancl 13 encircling the cylinder 10, which band ridesv upon the idlerrollers 1'313. One end of the cylinder 10- may be provided with the gear 14, which gear. 14 is driven by the pinion 14; (Figure 3). Turning movement is communicated to the pinion 14 by means of the bevel gears 15 and 16, which may have power transmitted to them by means of the shaft 17 and the pulley 18. a I 1 U The cylinder-s10 and 12are mounted upon a framework 19in an inclined position, that end of the cylinder 10 whichis enclosed by the cylinder 12 being uppermost. The angular position ofthe cylinders a1id12 is illustrated in Figure 2. I I The cylinders IOand 12 includea plurality of screens of difi'e'rent mesh, Figure 1 of said cylinder 10, a conical member 20 .be

ing provided for. the reception'of; the articles to be graded Articles which are small enough to pass through the screen marked gMesh A will pass into the outer cylin- Outer cylinder 12 made up of two I screens, arranged longitudinallyof cylinder 12, which screens are indicated on the draw-' ga Mesh n Mesh C. Mesh B and Mesh C will both. be smaller than Mesh A, and Mesh B will be smaller than Mesh C. Articles of the smallest size introduced into the machine will pass through the screen marked Mesh B..

Articles of sufficiently large size to pass over screen marked MeshB but of sufiiciently small size to pass through the screen marked Mesh C will pass through said screen marked Mesh C. Articles of, a size too large to pass through the screen marked Mesh C will pass out at the right hand end of cylinder 12. The means for carrying the graded articles away from the machine will be referred to hereinafter.

The screen marked Mesh A of cylinder 10 extends from the left hand end of said cylinder 10 to a region indicated by the letters MM (Figure 1). The section of cylinder lO'lying to the right of the line MM and extending to the line NN may be imperforate.

Said imperforate section is indicated by the numeral 21 (Figure 1). Articles introduced into cylinder 10 which are of too large a size to pass through the screen marked Mesh A will pass along the imperforate member 21. As the parts areindicated in the drawing, the right hand end of the imperforate section 2.1 is beyond the open end of cylinder 12.

Arranged to the right of the plane marked 3 by the line NN are three screens, marked,

respectively, Mesh D, Mesh E and Mesh F. Of the three screens referred to, the one immediately to the right of the imperforate member 21, that is, the screen marked Mesh D, will have the smallest mesh, that marked Mesh IE will have the next larger, and that marked MeshF will have a still larger mesh. Articles of too large a size to pass through the screen marked Mesh F will pass'out of the right hand end of cylinder 10;

Arranged under'the cylinders 10 and 12 are collecting means for the articles graded by said cylinders 10 and 12. Under the cylinder 12 is the chute 22. A baffle 23 is mounted substantially in the plane marked by the line MM, which plane is the right hand boundary of the screen marked Mesh B. Said baffle directs articles from chute 22 to a region laterally of the grader. To

the right of the baffle 23 is the chute 24;,

which is bounded on the right by the battle 24, lying in the plane of the right hand-end of cylinder 12. Mounted to the right of the baffle 24 is the chute 25 for carrying off articles which have passed into cylinder 12 from cylinder 10 but which are of too large a size to pass through either screen marked Mesh B or screen marked. Mesh C. Articles passing from the right hand end of cylinder 12 are directed from chute 25 by means of the baffle 26. Arranged to the right of the baffle 26 are the three chutes 27, 28 and 29, arranged below screens marked. Mesh D, Mesh E, and Mesh F, respectively, said chutes being bounded at their right hand extremities by the baffles 30, 31 and 32, respectively. Said chine.

chutes 27 28 and 29 may be similar to chute 25 in conformation and have the function of directing graded articles away from the machine.

Arranged longitudinally of the machine is the belt 33, which should be positively I belt until said graded articles are caused to move down the various chutes by reason of the engagement of said articles with the battles bounding said chutes. It will be noted from an inspection of Figure 2 that the plane of the upper side of the belt 33 is higher at the region adjacent to the right hand end of cylinder 10 than in the region adjacent to the cylinder 12, the difference in height at the two regions being accomplished by the idler pulleys 35-35. By reason of this construction the distance which the graded articles are required to travel before reaching the belt 33 is reduced to a minimum. V i

In order to recapitulate the above description, the operation of the machine will be described with reference to certain sizes of peaches. Peaches may be introduced into the open end of conical member 20 at the left hand end of the machine as the partsare viewed in Figures 1, 2 and 5. According to a construction which is in actual use, the first screen, that isscreen marked Mesh A, which said peaches will encounter in cylinder 10 will permit peaches of 2%; inch diameter or less to pass through to cylinder 12. The first screen of cylinder 12 which said peaches encounter, that 'isscreen marked Mesh B, has such a mesh that peaches of 1% inch diameter or less will pass through into the chute 22 to be delivered at the side of the ma- The second screen encountered in cylinder 12, that is-screen marked Mesh C, has such a mesh that peaches which are of too large a diameter to pass through screen Mesh B and which are of a diameter of 13 inch or lesss will pass through said screen marked Mesh C. Peaches of a diameter between and 2 inches pass out through the outer end of cylinder 12. Peaches passing through screen marked Mesh C will pass out through chute 24 to the side of the machine, and peaches which pass out of the right hand end of cylinder 12 will be delivered by chute 25 to the side of the ma chine.

Peaches which are too large to pass through the screen of cylinder 10 marked Mesh A will pass over the imperforate portion 21 and will encounter in succession the screens marked Mesh D, Mesh E and Mesh F, respectively. Continuing the ex ample, screen marked Mesh D may permit peaches of 2 inches diameter to pass, screen marked Mesh E may permit peaches of a diameterof 2 inches to pass,

' and screen marked Mesh F may permit chine. Peaclies Whichhave passed out of the right hand end of cylinder 12 will be delivered to the side ofthe machine by chute 25. Peaches of'more than 2 inches diameter which are delivered at the right hand end of cylinder may be collected in any preferred way, not illustrated.

( Wei a a e r ht nd r egaided as seconds The practical advantages of the structure above described will be better understood afterfa short discussion of the commercialproblems encountered in the bandling of peaches. The present invention is particularly applicable to the sorting of peaches for canning purposes. Commercially, peaches which may be canned in halves have a decided advantage over peaches which must be sliced for canning. On the other hand, peaches of small size have less commercial valve per unit of The choice peaches for canning purposes, therefore, are intermediate in size between a small or medium size peach and a large peach. In the ordinary graders as heretofore used, the small and medium size peaches have been sorted out first and have therefore been subjected to the least handling mechanically. Peaches of the choice sizes for canning purposes have. necessarily been handled in the grading machines to a very considerable amount. Larger size peaches, wl1ich,though not adapted for can-- ning in halves, are nevertheless very valuable commercially' in the peach cannlng 1n- V dustry, get the greatest amount of handling,

be canned as first-grade choice peaches for- 7 Peaches of larger size, up to 2 inches 1n diameter, are very choice.

canning purposes.

larger diameter than 2 inches. Inasmuch as the greatest danger of injury to the peaches is due to thei'r tumbling against one another, the almost immediate separation of peaches of less'than 2 inches in diameter from those of larger size has a very decided practical advantage. peaches of 1%inches'and less diameter are Inasmuch as the I graded'out in the first stage in cylinder 12,

the exposure to bruising effects of the choice peaches, that is-those between l-f -tinches and 12 to be of true mathematical cylin- I drical form, the halved peaches would tend to slide, and therefore would not be carried by the revolving members 10 and 12 to the height accomplished with the polygonal members 10 and 12. Due to the polygonal form, the halved peaches have much better contact with the inner walls of said members 10 and 12,'and are carried to considerably greater height before tumbling back toward the lower regions of said members 10 and 12. Sorting is thereby greatlyexpedited by the polygonal form illustrated. Though an example has been taken from actual practice in the above description indicating certain sizes of peaches, it is to be understood that said example is. to be considered in an illustrative Way and'not in a limiting way. The invention issubject to many modifications. It is intended to cover all such modifications that fall within the scope of. theappended claims What is claimed is:

'1. In agrader, in combination, a pair of concentric members of polygonal contour,

one of which envelops the other throughout a portion of the length of said other adjacent to the inlet end thereof, said concentric members of polygonal contour comprising screen members of different mesh, the mesh of the screens of said inner concentric member being progressively greater from the in- 1 let end thereof to the outlet end thereof, the

mesh of the screens of the outerconcentric member being less than the smallest mesh of the screens ofthe inner concentric meminner concentric member; I i

2. A grading machine particularly adapted for the grading of fruit of approximately 7 hemisphericalform comprising, in combination, a pair of concentric members of polygonal contour, one of Which envelops the other throughout'a portion of the length of said other adjacent to the inlet end thereof, said concentric members comprising screen members of different mesh, the screen members of the outer concentric member being progressively greater from the inlet end to the outlet end thereof, the largest mesh of said outer concentric member being less than the smallest mesh of the inner of said concentric members, the screen members of said inner concentric member increasing progressively in mesh from the inlet to the outlet end thereof, whereby articles of fruit of. a plurality of intermediate sizes are sorted out from each other and from the remainder of the fruit relatively soon after insertion into said inner concentric member.

3. In a grader, in combination, a pair of of different mesh, the mesh; of the screens 7 of said inner cylinder being progressively greater from the inlet end thereof to the outlet end thereof, the mesh of the screens of the outer cylinder being less than the small-' est mesh of the screens of the inner cylinder and increasing progressively from the inlet end to the outlet end thereof, whereby me1nbers of intermediate sizes are sorted out relatively soon after insertion into said inner cylinder.

Signed at Sacramento, California, this 19th day of May, 1924. v

JOHN J. NEVILLS.- 

